Friction clutch



Jan. 3, 1950 c. B. sPAsE 2,493,700

l FRICTION CLUTCH Filed May 8, 1946 IMI-zi;

IN V EN TUR.'

zared @use Wf/w Patented Jan. 3, 1.950

@NJW-Ein s erster;

-FRICTION CLUTCH harles B..,Spase, Nedrow,'.-N. lfassignorto -Lirpe- Rollway Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a .corpo- :Applicatonil/Iay, 1946,'SeriaLNoilBGSgwl =of --the :type -whereinfspring .means #are used -to engage and Ahold .the clutch engaged and Ythe ielli-terr-disengaged :through throwout levers operated -by a throw -out ycoll-ar, which in turn is operatedbyfa-lever or -pedal. It has for 'its -.ob sject'A-fmeans operated .-.by ythe movement .of -fthe throw-out levers Runder f the centrifugal 'i action,

when .the clutch-isengagedvandrotating, to augmentthefaction ofsthe i elutchspring means, and fthus-to.fincrease the: holdingy or clutching action, fas Vthedspeed of ftheclutch,1and `hence the lcen- .trifugal force,-inereases.

The-invention eonsistsfin the novel features and-in-thecombinationsfand constructions here- -inafter set.' forth. andclaimed.

In describing this invention,referenceis .had yato `Athe accompany-ingdrawings .in 'which 'like ,characters -=designate -corresponding parts `.in .all 'the-views.

fFig-ure f1 is .-a.rearelevationv of a --clutch em- -bodying this invention.

. vFigi-ir-efz Iis a 4vertical -sectional vievvf taken cen- -trallymoff Figure 1. Y n lThevclutch here lshown isof-fthe'f-tvpe. embodyingavunitaryclutch. element. embodying .ai pressure-ring,throwout levers, clutch Vsprings and means fon attaching? the pressure ring: tofan'element. asfthe-drivingelement; as shown in-myco- .pending applicatiomSeri-al; Number' 630,'8'71,:..1-`11ed VI\I ovemlcer 4"26,r .1945. u Intl-1e.clutehhereshown, i-.designates thedrivjing=element, -iwhiohmay be the fly-wheeliofan finternal -eombustion :'engine. #2 designates `the v-iriven -elemen-t,Whichfis'awdisk orplate mounted on thecluteh shaft. Yluisa-pressurering forming part of the driving-element. .5 designates studs or bolts which thread into suitable holes atfl 'inthe drivin'gfelement through passages 8 in the rim or in lugs at the rim of the pressure ring 4. 9 are"-cltchlsprings-f-arranged to thrust w in opposite directions against the .headsltlof the Blts' and' against the pressure ring, the.-springs.=9 being loaded or compressed to thrust the pressure ring intoiliitchingengagement. `As'fshown, suitable spring seats II are interposed betweenv the -ot1ter'-endsjof the ,Y spring andthe heads 'of-1 the boltsnand also the. inner-ends fofthe springs are ienelsed'in caps I 2. These caps in turnthrust fgagainst'kmeans to be describedfor transferring the eentifugal'force of the `throw-out '#leversto angine/nt the actioncf the springs 9. u. LSI-fdesignates the throw-out slevers, FNthese i be- `hing pivted or fulcrumed at; Mto the rimmffthe ..2 Y pressurerring .4 .orL lugs atthe-.rim,. the arms. of .the levers .extending radially inward .and `theinner i ends being. normallyfree. The .arms jkl 3 :thrust at l--against-the ends ofthe.transverselysliding .5 Apins -If which slide .through-the .margin...of..the

, pressure ring and ...press .against .thelface .of .the .driving element I-Whenvthe-throW-out levers are .operated to disengagethe clutch. This-feature .forms 11o-part of theinventionbut is thesubjeet 10 matterof the application previously..referred fto.

In -so far as .this inventionis .c0ncer.ned, the :levers i3- vare.merelylthrovvout.levers.

.The .means f-or .transferring l the .action .of the centrifugal .force `lis .lhere -shown as .additional :l5 levers .I1 yhaving inwardly-.extending Jarms, '.'th'e arms .o :the ldiierefltl'.levers` lapping .each vother and also. arranged .lin 'the path .of lthek levers I3 during their .action under .the .centrifugal .force sof the .rotating clutch. lThe levers l1 "have ..201f-ulcrurn ...points :and the f-.work delivery .points e spacedfapartalongthe. leversLto .transfer the ac- .tionoflthelevers tdthespifingsllto compressanl hence augrnenttheactionof the .springs,..an'd. also Lto fulcrum on :either the ,pressure ring v. or the -25..studs .5. orlthe heads 0` thereof. The. action,'.in

.either ease, is .to `compress or .augment .the .springs 9. As` here fillustrated, lthe .springs .are -arranged in ,.pairs, and ..a. bolt or.. stud 6 .extends lbetween.the..springs foreachpair. 'The spring 130 seatsl Landcupsf IZEare commento" the springs of each pair and the"v levers are formedin. pairs r-vviththe levers -or--.the armsthereofarranged in ageneral -.V. formation,..the legs .ofthe V forma- 'tions'y lapping eachother. at lan'd'lthe lapping the levers l 3, when' thrownotwardly under fthe .centrifugal f force. 'he .springs f 9 and studs 526 arelocated-.atthe .apexaoflthe V. formation. .The clutch'l levers l'i3.arepperated to throwoutlthe ..40 clutch' '.by. means -of..a' throwfout collar 20 slidably' mounted on l'the ffclutchshaft "73. This .collar is so located'thatthereis-aspace. between. the innererds-.oflthe Uthrowoutv levers and. the col'- `1ar, when theclutchis. engaged, which space must 45 .be taken .uplbefore .thethrowaout levers. can ...be

actuated. r'Askhel'efz shown, .the .levers I 1 thrust .in oppositegdirections against the-springs 9 and `the pressure..ring,..and..as herefshow-n, said levers .thrust at.f2 against acup- |.2n and..at .22. against gage the clutch.

the levers Il and press them outwardly, causing them to fulcrum or press at 2| and at 22, and in so doing, these levers are tilted at the point 2| and compress the springs 9, thus augmenting the action of the springs, as the centrifugal force increases under the rotation of the clutch. The arms l1 maybe resilient or leaf or flat spring arms. The arms I1 also hold the inner ends of the throw-out levers from contacting with the throw-out collar I0, except when the throw-out collar is operated by the clutch pedal to What I claim is:

1. Ina friction clutch "including driving and driven elements including a pressure ring, spring means acting on the pressure ring and loaded to press the ring to engage the clutch, .radially-' extendingA throw-out levers having ltheir inner ends normally free to be acted upon outwardly by centrifugal force; the combination of lmeans for transferringthe, action of the'levers Aunder lthe centrifugal force to the pressure ring 'in such direction as to augment the springs, said Atrsralnsfer means including levers having their inner lends lapping the inner arms of the throwout levers in order to be pressed outwardly therelby during the movement of the levers under the centrifugal force and having their outer ends fulcrumed to thrust against the spring means to additionally load V'the same as the speed of the clutch increases, when the clutch is engaged.

2. In a friction clutch including driving and driven elements, the driving element including a pressure ring, spring means spaced apart in a circumferential direction acting on the pressure ring and loaded to press the ring to engage the clutch, and radially-extending, throw-out levers fulcrumed on the pressure ring and having their inner ends normally free to be acted upon and shifted outwardly by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the clutch, the combination of means for transferring the action of the inner arms of the levers under the centrifugal force when the clutch is rotating and engaged to the.l pressure ring, in such direction las to augment `fulcrumed on the pressure ring and having their' inner ends normally free to be acted upon and shifted outwardly by the centrifugalforce caused byy the. rotation of the clutch, the combinationof -'means for transferring the action of the inner arms of the llevers under Vthe centrifugal force cumferential direction acting on the pressure ring and loaded to press the ring to engage the clutch, and radially-extending, throw-out levers fulcrumed on the pressure ring and having their inner ends normally freeto'be acted upon and shifted outwardly by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the clutch, the combination of means for transferring the action of the inner arms of the levers under the centrifugal force when the clutch is rotating and engaged to the pressure ring, in such direction as to augment the springs, said transfer means being V-shaped levers,

each arm of the Vy formation being arranged in the path of one of the throw-out levers to be actuated thereby under the centrifugal force, the apex of the V coacting with one of the spring meansV and thepressure ring at spaced apart points, the V-shaped levers fulcruming on one and thrusting against the other of the same.

5. A friction clutch including a, driving element Vand a'driven element, a pressure ring, studs extending through the margin of the pressure ring into the driving element, the pressure ring being slidably mounted on the studs, the studs having heads at their outer ends, loaded compression springs to engage the clutch between the heads and the pressure ring, radially-extending, throwvout levers having their inner ends normally free to be'thrown outwardly by the centrifugal force Acaused by the rotation of the clutch, and additional levers having arrnvs` arranged to be engaged by the throw-out levers under the 'action of the centrifugal force ofthe rotating clutch, when engaged, the additional levers extending between the inner ends of the springs and the pressure ring and thrusting vat one point against the springs and at anotherpoint spaced therefrom y against the pressure ring.v

when the clutch is rotating and engaged to the Y pressure ring, in such direction as to augment the springs, the transfer means including levers having arms arranged to be engaged by the inner arms of the throw-out levers when the throw-out leversv are acted upon by the centrifugal force and being fulcrumed to additionally load the springs as the rotative speed of the clutch increases.

4. In a friction clutch including driving and pressure ring,` spring Vmeans spaced apart in a cir'.

driven elements, the driving element including a 6. A friction clutch including a driving element anda driven element; a pressure ring member, studs extending through the margin of the pres- 'sure ring member into the'driving element, the

pressure ring member being slidably mounted on the studs, the studs having head members at their outer ends, springs to engage the clutch thrusting vinopposite direction toward the head member Aand the pressure'ring member, radially-extending, throw-'out levers having their inner ends nor.

Amally free to be thrown outwardly by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the clutch,

when engaged, additional levers having arms arrangedto be engaged by the throw-out'levers under the action of the centrifugal force of the rotating clutch,r when engaged, the additional jlevers extending between like ends of the springs and oney of said members and thrusting at one point vagainst the vsprings and at another point against one of said members.

CHARLES B. SPASE.

REFEREN CES CITED The following references are of record in the filenof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,513,203 Wemp Oct. 20, 1924 1,855,643 Matthews Apr. 26, 1932 2,126,149 p Spase Aug. 9, 1938 2,171,385 Zeidler Aug. 29, 1939V 2,174,317 Dunkelow Sept. 26, 1939 2,195,354 Bateman Mar. 26, 1940 2,253,294 Higgs Aug, 19, 1941 2,405,357 Jarrett Aug, 6, 1946 

